Grouse Mountain hiker apparently died of hypothermia after f

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Grouse Mountain hiker apparently died of hypothermia after falling into tree well

The mysterious death of a 52-year-old Vancouver woman found frozen near a bunny hill on Grouse Mountain is being investigated by the B.C. Coroners Service.

North Vancouver RCMP were called out to the mountain shortly after 3 p.m. on Tuesday by staff who found the body in snow and bushes about 100 metres from the gently sloping Paradise ski run, RCMP spokesman Cpl. Richard De Jong said Wednesday.

The woman was found frozen in a tree well. The body was near the local bear habitat shed, but it was "fully intact and in no state of decomposition," De Jong said.

Hypothermia appears to be the cause of death, he said, but investigators have no idea how long the woman had lain dead.

"It could be 24 hours and it could be three months," he said.

A single woman, she was known by relatives on the North Shore to be an avid hiker. But apparently, she wasn't reported missing and hadn't told anyone about plans to go hiking.

"It's just 100 metres off the ski run, but this is still wilderness," De Jong said. "It's easy to fall in a tree well and get covered up by snow.

"This is just a reminder for us all to let someone know where you are hiking."

Police don't believe foul play is involved and have asked the coroner to help determine when and how the woman died, and establish a timeline for the days leading to her death.

Under sunny skies on Grouse Mountain Wednesday, lift attendants who work within shouting distance of the scene said they were surprised to learn a woman had lain dead there for an unknown time.

"It's not the nicest thing to hear in the morning," one young woman said. "All they are telling us is it looks like she was out hiking."

Deep Cove resident Marlene Nielsen was snowshoeing on the trail near where the victim was found.

"It's just tragic for the family," she said. "I hike these trails a lot and they are well maintained. But when you look off the trail, there are some very steep gullies."

North Shore Rescue head Tim Jones stressed that many of the rescues his team tackles involve people who are hiking solo and don't file a "trip itinerary."

He said a man was accidentally stumbled upon by a team member in the Lynn Headwaters area about two weeks ago, about a day away from death.

"He was delusional and hypothermic with a bad case of trench foot," Jones said. "He didn't tell anyone where he was going."

Jones added that with low levels of snow on the North Shore, the concern for rescue teams now is wayward hikers, not avalanches.

"It's a gong show right now. There are droves of people up there," he said.

scooper@theprovince.com

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